CNN said
Crossfire, which was a staple of the cable network’s schedule for more than 20 years
before being canceled in 2005, will return to its schedule in the fall.

“Few programs in the history of CNN have had the kind of impact on political discourse that
Crossfire did. It was a terrific program then, and we believe the time is right to bring
it back and do it again,” CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker said in a statement.

Crossfire will keep its format of having right-wingers and left-wingers square off.
Representing the right will be former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and columnist S.E. Cupp. Former
Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter and Van Jones — founding president of Rebuild the
Dream, a progressive think tank — will represent the left.

When it premiered in 1982,
Crossfire — then hosted by Pat Buchanan and Tom Braden — became one of CNN’s most popular
shows. Through the years, its hosts have included James Carville, Michael Kinsley, Mary Matalin and
Robert Novak.

Toward the end of its long run,
Crossfire was accused by critics of being more interested in the political process than in
serious issues.
Daily Show host Jon Stewart famously went on the show in 2004 and told then-hosts Tucker
Carlson and Paul Begala that
Crossfire was “hurting America” and was nothing more than “partisan hackery.”

“You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably,” Stewart said.

CNN will announce a time slot for the new
Crossfire later in the summer.